A Qualitative Study of Immigration Policy and Practice Dilemmas for Social Work Students

Social policy shapes the infrastructure wherein social work is practiced. However, what happens when a particular social policy is seemingly incongruent with the social work code of ethics? How do social work students conceive and resolve potential practice dilemmas that may arise as a consequence? In this study, the authors explored potential practice dilemmas as a result of Proposition 200, an Arizona immigration law that would require social workers employed in the public sector to deny services to undocumented clients. The 6-step analysis found that students recognized various practice dilemmas that the policy would present and conflicts between the policy and social work ethics. Students also identified numerous strategies for resolving the above-mentioned dilemmas